Art taught her that the most breathtaking masterpieces usually hide the most tragic back stories.
Parang mga tao.
Ito mismo ang rason kung bakit mahilig magliwaliw sa mga art museum ni Cornelia. Habang naglalakad sa mga pasilyong tinatampok ang iba't ibang mga obra, napapaisip siya sa mga trahedyang ikinukubli ng bawat isa. Odd as it may seem, but there's something magical knowing you're walking down a hallway of tragedies turned art.
Weird, but she lives for it.
Pero ngayon, habang pinagmamasdan ang Dreamcaster na tuluyan nang nilamon ng negatibong enerhiya ng Land of Nightmares, hindi niya magawang mamangha. He was standing a couple of feet away from her, in the midst of the black storm that looked like a smudged charcoal background. He was beauty and tragedy staring down at her with empty eyes. Right now, Cornelia felt no appreciation, no matter how beautiful or tragic he may be. In fact, she was feeling the opposite---she was terrified.
"Dave...?"
If he heard her, Dave didn't show any indication.
Bumaling ang atensyon niya sa demi-god na tahimik na nakamasid sa kanila. The scheming smile on Morpheus' lips made her want to throw a boulder at him. She never hated anyone as much as she hates this bastard at this very moment.
"Anong ginawa mo sa kanya?!"
She yelled, her voice thundered despite the howling whirlwinds.
Nagkibit-balikat si Morpheus, hindi pa rin nawawala ang mapaglarong ngiti sa mga labi. "Glare at me all you want, but I didn't do anything. Alam kong may ideya ka na rin na matagal nang nagbabadyang mangyari ito kay Dave. There was a reason why Sandman didn't allow him through that door leading to the Land of Nightmares, and that's because he knew that as a Dreamcaster, Dave would be absorbing the negative energy here the longer he stays."
Beside him, a floating antique hourglass appeared. Napansin ni Cornelia na paubos na ang kulay abong buhangin sa itaas nito.
A timer.
"Good and bad like dreams and nightmares, co-exist... one cannot be separated from the other. You should know that by now, mortal." Isang makahulugang tingin ang ibinigay sa kanya ni Morpheus bago binalingan ang hourglass. "He's running out of time. Once the last grain of sand falls, not only does the damage in the Waking World become permanent, but your boyfriend might not revert back to his old self. Such dramatic way to end things, don't you think?"
Those words were a dagger to her chest. Matagal na niyang alam na may posibilidad maging masama si Dave dahil sa pananatili nila sa Land of Nightmares, but a small part of her still believed that he'd be able to fight it.
A small part of her still believed in him.
"Kung ako sa'yo, mas uunahin kong isipin kung paano makakailag."
Morpheus' comment snapped her attention back at the Dreamcaster. Nanlaki ang mga mata ng dalaga nang makitang may bumubulusok nang palaso sa kanya.
'Shit!'
In a matter of seconds, she barely moved away to avoid it. Pinigilan niyang sumigaw sa sakit nang madaplisan ang kanyang tagiliran. Cornelia clutched her side and gritted her teeth in disbelief.
"DAVE! Kung anuman ang ginagawa ng Land of Nightmares sa'yo, labanan mo! Are you really just gonna fall under its influence?! Even I know you're too prideful for that!"
Pero tila ba hindi siya nito naririnig. Ilang sandali pa, namuo ang buhangin sa ilalim ni Cornelia. The black sand rose and twisted into tendrils before snaking their way to her limbs. She struggled under their grip, but it was no use.
BINABASA MO ANG
✔ Dreamcaster
Fantasy"I am a Dreamcaster." "But you don't have any dreams?" "Does it matter?" He challenged. She glared back. "It does." After his mentor's retirement, tuluyan nang pinandigan ni Dave ang kanyang mga responsibilidad bilang isang Dreamcaster. As someone w...
